WPF has some simple features which really can make some effects easy. For example, if you'd like to add a shadow or a glow to a TextBlock in WPF (or other elements, such as a Button), you need to only add a BitmapEffect to the proper UI element. For example, in the code below, I've applied it to a TextBlock element.

Here's the XAML:

<Page
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" >
<Grid Background="#ff2d76ff">
<TextBlock
HorizontalAlignment="Center"
VerticalAlignment="Center"
FontSize="48"
Foreground="Gold"
FontFamily="Courier New"
FontWeight="500"
Typography.StandardLigatures="True">
<TextBlock.BitmapEffect>
<OuterGlowBitmapEffect GlowColor="Black" GlowSize="3"/>
</TextBlock.BitmapEffect>
<Span>Wired</Span><Span
FontFamily="Verdana"
FontSize="40"
Foreground="Orange"
FontStyle="Italic">Prairie</Span>
</TextBlock>
</Grid>
</Page>